This year we planted a variety of tomatoes, putting more than 20 plants into our small raised garden bed behind our home. The plants have thrived despite the heat and lack of rain, and are producing better than any past gardening season. So, we have had to come up with creative new ways to use them. We of course shared with nearby family, and our daughters set up a tomato stand one afternoon and enjoyed selling tomatoes to our neighbors. But, mostly we have been creative in the kitchen by coming up with many new easy summer dinners!
So if you’re like me and your garden tomatoes started rippening all at once a few weeks ago and you have so many that you don’t know how to use them all, look no further! You will absolutely love this summer pasta recipe! The marinated tomatoes are chilled then added to the cooked pasta, cooling it all down. Tossed with parmigiano reggiano and topped with fresh basil, it is the perfect light summer meal for a warm summer night.

Basic Ingredients for this Summer Garden Pasta
- Cherry tomatoes – Using at least a couple of different colors of tomatoes adds a bright summery feel this dish.
- Olive oil – Using a quality extra virgin olive oil makes all the difference in getting great flavor here. An infused olive oil (like tuscan herb or basil infused oil) would be wonderful in this dish as well!
- Garlic salt
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh basil
- Rigatoni pasta – I prefer this shape of pasta for this dish because of the way it holds on to the olive oil and cheese when served.
- Parmigiano Reggiano – I always prefer to grate my own cheese for the most freshness in the final dish.
How to make this easy summer pasta dish
A few hours before you plan to serve dinner, you will want to cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to a large bowl. Add in the olive oil, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Thinly slice the basil (saving back a few basil leaves to garnish the dish) and add to the mixture. Stir, then marinate in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When you’re ready to prepare the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and drain. Pull the marinating tomatoes from the fridge and add the pasta directly to the bowl. Stir well, then sprinkle in the parmigiano reggiano and toss. Serve immediately garnished with thinly sliced fresh basil.

Variations
Add a bit of minced garlic (omitting the garlic salt)
Add a sprinkle of red pepper flake at the end
Add capers or toss in a few mozzarella pearls
Add grilled chicken or other protein of choice on top
Used a quality infused olive oil for an extra pop of flavor

Other easy summer recipes to make use of your garden tomatoes
- Fried green tomatoes
- Avocado BLT
- BLT flatbread
- Caprese salad
- Bruschetta
- Homemade tomato sauce

Summer Garden Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 pints cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 25 fresh basil leaves finely sliced, divided
- 1 box rigatoni pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Instructions
- 2-3 hours prior to serving, slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Add basil (reserving just enough to garnish the dish later). Stir together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions and drain.
- Remove the marinating tomatoes from the fridge and add the pasta directly to the bowl.
- Sprinkle in the parmigiano reggiano and toss.
- Serve immediately with fresh basil as garnish. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this summer garden pasta with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes as we much as we do!
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